This weekend the luckiest day of the year will be upon us: St. Patrick’s Day. A time to dress in lucky green and plaster four-leaf clovers all over in hopes of reserving some of the good luck and fortune of the day for yourself. Unfortunately, this is the same approach many companies take when they choose to enter the cloud.
By doing limited research and settling for a one-size-fits-all vendor, companies are tying their cloud computing success to the hope that four-leaf clovers really work. The harsh truth is that the hangover caused by these decisions is even worse then the one felt the day after St. Patrick’s Day. There are some ways however, to enjoy the benefits from cloud computing and avoid the hangover all together.
Before you can find the right cloud provider it is imperative to do an honest and thorough examination of what your company is looking to gain from a venture into the cloud. Are you looking to gain greater flexibility? Lower costs? Do you have large dynamic workloads that would benefit from running in the cloud? These are just some of the questions that can help shed light on the real goals for moving to the cloud and help outline what you need from a potential provider.
Once you know what you are looking for, the search for the provider that can best help you achieve your goals can begin. Speak with potential vendors and be honest about what you are looking to gain from your move to the cloud. If their response is an attempt to box you into their one-size-fits-all model you should be wary; this will be emblematic of how their dealings with you will be in the future. Inevitably there comes a time when one size does not fit all. These initial conversations will often repeat themselves when the need for a customized solution arises. Providers with the ability and dedication to work on a customized solution with you will also be able to adapt to changes in the market or to your company’s specific goals and needs as they mature and change.
Save your head-to-toe green outfits and four leaf clovers for St. Patrick’s Day and put them away for your cloud search. Your company’s cloud strategy can’t rely on the hope that you get lucky with a one-size-fits-all strategy; instead take the time and find a provider with the scalability and adaptability to customize a solution capable of growing with your company and continuing to provide the same benefits that stirred you to join the cloud in the first place.
